Guilt Free Goddess blog

For the Love of Water

Ali Grace — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:30:36 +0000

What is it about water and love? I love water, not really getting my head wet, but I love how I feel in the water. Today as I walked my dog in the back bay near my house, I went down to a special part of the shore where the water was absolutely still. Not clear and turquoise like Hawaii or Florida, but a little murky, with the seaweed along the surface. As I watched the fish underneath, I began to feel their freedom. They glided back and forth with grace and ease, just flowing through the glass-like water. And I wondered – how does my own life reflect this same ebb and flow? Do I give this enough space in my life?

Then I remembered a story my meditation master has told us about when he was not celibate and had a girlfriend. They were in a pool at around midnight in the desert during on a hot summer night. He put one hand underneath her back as she floated and felt the freedom of spirit running through her. I began to remember those times when I was with my lover in the past in a warm water pool or in Hawaii and we just floated in one another’s arms and he took over for us both…making sure we stayed afloat and felt that same freedom and the power of our connection. I began to remember how when the feminine surrenders to the Divine Masculine in our lives, our vulnerability is their connection to the Divine. Without us, they are left on their own and most of them choose to disconnect and get “busy”…with work, projects, sports, etc. Anything to disconnect…it is mostly out of habit until they truly become willing to be conscious and they begin to create moments to re-connect.

Until that time for them, it is through us that they feel connected to source. It is through them that we surrender our vulnerability and allow source inside us. Not just through the sexual act itself, but through our ability to open ourselves beyond the empowered women we all strive to be in this day and age. I know this mask well, I wore it for many years in the corporate world and to some extent, I must still wear this mask in order to move through my business dealings here and there. But more and more, I connect to the feminine essence that is truly my own without hesitancy. And in this mixture of both, I am finding more and more balance that suits my needs in this world.

However, being in my Divine Feminine, just feels more in alignment with my soul. I feel the Light more when I am in my feminine essence. It is here where I find inspiration, guidance, creativity and love. It is the Fire within me that pushes me to embrace her more and more each day. And as I do, I see how she manifests in my life. I am happier, joyful, playful, loving and even kinder in the face of the ugliness of the world. I handle the world better from my feminine essence. She is more compassionate and understanding, forgiving and yet powerful in her own right. She has MUCH more fun than my masculine essence. But both are certainly needed in this 3^rd dimensional world.

I find that when I am with a truly masculine energy based man, my feminine essence is his natural partner…so she comes out to play with him…and open herself to him. And to help him open to his Creator, even if he is not really very conscious to this, he feels something inside of him. Often he cannot understand this fully. It may even scare him…but he feels it and so do I. His fascination with me and with us, is his window to source…and whatever he needs to see, he will experience. I never worry about this, only that I am surrendering.

As I witnessed myself this afternoon, on my walk, in a trance-like state of bewilderment and wonder through this daydream of seeing my divine partner (whomever he may be) and I dancing slowly with our bodies immersed in water, completely embraced and intertwined, gliding through one another’s soul while being cleansed, it was like heaven on earth….just as Jesus explains to his disciples in the Gospel of Thomas and reminds us….”the kingdom of earth lies before man, but he sees it not.”

Remember, dear friends, THIS is your heaven, God’s heaven…what are you willing to see? How far are you willing to go? What are you willing to experience while you are here? What are you willing to let go of inside your head to remember? Where will you choose to spend your time? What are you trying to prove? Are you waiting for some entity to come down and sweep you up into heaven? Or are you willing to surrender and realize the Divine within each moment of each day?

Dip into the waters of life and give your life the cleansing it needs to SEE CLEARLY, Feel FULLY and Experience the Heaven on Earth that you know is possible….I dare you!

Layers of Water

Ali Grace — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 05:59:16 +0000

Living by the beach truly has it benefits. So often, when I am in need of a break or just a boost in my energy, I go to the water’s edge and begin walking, usually with my dog at my side and feet feeling the sand with the negative ions penetrating the soles of my feet and the meridians of my body. About 2 weeks ago, just as sunset was upon us, I was in need of some mind relief. So, out the door I went directly to the sand. When I emerged on the beach, all I wanted to do was RUN until I got to the water’s edge. Suddenly I stopped (mostly out of habit), not wanting to put my feet in the water…mostly because in California, it can often be cold. Of course, I completely forgot that the last 5 days has been about 85-90 degrees, as we were experiencing a heat wave here in SoCal.

So, I began to walk along the edge of the water, running back and forth as it crept closer and closer to my bare feet- never getting my feet wet. My dog, happily exploring the exciting smells of the sand! I walked in the direction of the breathtaking sunset (we are so fortunate in this area) and felt the warm, balmy breeze on my body. It was in the middle of the week, so there were only a few lucky families with children still basking in the day, playing in the water, couples hand and hand laughing and sharing this exquisite moment in time, body surfers trying to catch the last few waves before the lifeguard lured them out of the water. It was a happy time for all, as we all connected through our polite smiles and sporadic words of kindness as we passed on another. I had a wrap over my shoulders, feeling like the Goddess that I am!! It was a beautiful moment of peace and reflection for me…just what I needed.

Then, as I began to walk closer to the pier, I began to see a shift in how the water reached the shore. I have always viewed the crashing of the waves at the shoreline as Mother Nature’s Fury and Release – her invitation for us to take in all of her incredible Divine Feminine Power. As she releases, we become invigorated. It is the ebb and flow of how nature teaches us balance.

Perhaps it was the reflection of the setting sun as the water glistened and sparkled with such iridescence it was hard to describe, maybe you have seen it too, but I could not take my eyes off the water. I began to watch the direction of the waves change and shift. They started to create a vortex of emergence that created a layer effect. It was truly the most beautiful thing I had seen water do on its own. Literally one layer of water would release, emerge into another opposite releasing layer and then 2-3 more layers would come on top of them one by one. Like a window blind being pulled up- the layers of water one on top of the other, in a glassy wave. As if they were lying on top of one another, creating the most beautiful live picture…all the while, glistening from the sun’s kiss. I stood there completely in awe of this natural site of Mother Nature and knew she was trying to show me something.

So, I closed my eyes for a few moments and asked for the message that was trying to get through to me. This is what came as if from God and the Angels:

“As we allow ourselves to merge with another human soul, new layers of our existence emerge and glisten. Light begins to shine and new layers of who we are come to the surface of our consciousness, when they were otherwise hidden in the vast waters of our mind.”

WOW. I was stunned and yet so appreciative of this message and the deeper meaning it had for me (I had experienced this message before in my life and knew the incredible things that could happen once I allowed it). I knew this was a sign of what was to come for me. I knew that someone was about to enter my life and would help unlock new layers of my unconscious to the conscious for me. New opportunities for growth and evolution were on their way. Mother Nature was here predicting for me, what my soul knew unconsciously needed to surface.

So, weeks later, I am beginning to realize who this person is and what is beginning to be unleashed inside of me. In fact, I think it is a few people who have emerged on the scene in my life who are challenging me and pushing me to new realms of my own Divinity. I am so grateful to Mother Nature and for my ability to stop, for a moment, and be present to what message I was being given. In my long ago past, I would have never stopped or even thought to stop and LISTEN to what God was trying to tell me. I would have been too caught up in watching all the people, thinking too much about stuff in my life or analyzing where to walk next or how far to walk.

Over the past several years I began to choose a new way of thinking, acting and behaving…to be more conscious of the unconscious and live in a way that feeds my spirit vs my ego. It has been this transformation that has caused a ripple effect of new layers of who I am to emerge and learn from. Sometimes this growth is exhilarating and sometimes it is exhausting, but no more do I choose to be ignorant to all of who I am and why I am here. Some people in my life look at me and think I am nuts or too “out there” and others really GET who I am and what I am choosing. I love them all for where they are on their journey of the consciousness of this planet. And I release my judgments of them and simply give them the space and dignity of their own process…

All the while, knowing that just by me being in their life, we are both experiencing new layers emerging within us and feeding off one another in a glorious state of awareness and choice. Sometimes we like it and sometimes we would rather just remain ignorant. (Ignorance is Bliss, as they say!!). The path of choosing a higher sense of consciousness is not the easiest path, but it is the most rewarding…for your soul’s evolution.

I hope you are now enjoying a new layer of your emerging consciousness and appreciating all the amazing people who are coming in your life to push your buttons, trigger you and open your heart to the happiness, peace and joy that are the truth of who you are.

As I turned around to walk back home, I felt the warmth of the water (like bath water) on the sand just after it sank back into the ocean and my feet walked over it (I had been so into watching the water, I forgot to FEEL it!) So, I immediately ran into the ocean and got my shorts wet and felt how amazing it was to feel these delightfully warm cleansing waters on my legs at dusk…appreciating all the messages and awareness I had been given that day- getting excited about what was yet to come and who these layers would be uncovered with. My dog sat there and watched me…she is a non-water dog!!

Ah, Life truly is beautiful.

Rusty Nails of Fear

Ali Grace — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:00:56 +0000

About two years ago, our homeowners association decided to replace the roofs on our homes. We are a small cul-de-sac where everyone knows one another and looks out for each other. As our old roofs were being torn off for the first 2 weeks, the biggest issue we had were hundreds of old rusty nails that were falling off our homes and threatening our car tires and the paws of our beloved 4-legged friends! Because I work from home, I seemed to be the one person who took it upon myself to pick these dangerous nails up daily as this messy project went on for weeks! Now two years later, I still seem to be at the forefront of the Rusty Nail Pick-Up Project!

I find these old rusty nails flying off our roofs and showing up on our street and threatening more problems if we did not pick them up. So, I do, realizing that when I do, it may be just the thing that eliminates a neighbor’s car tire from being destroyed or one of our dogs/cats from having to be rushed to the hospital. I tend to still find these at least 1-2 per week!

So, today when I picked one up in front of my neighbor’s house, something occurred to me. I began to realize that these rusty nails were very much like the ‘fears’ that live within our mind. They are always out there lurking in places we do not think about and ever so often, they fly out (just like the nails flying from the rooftops) right in front of us, causing us to STOP and face them and make a decision to remove them or let them sit there and threaten the peacefulness in which we all yearn to live our lives and literally flatten our theoretical tires of life! These Rusty Nails of Fear show up when we least expect it and are never a lot of fun when they enter into places within our lives that appear to be the status quo of our lives – usually within our relationships with others or in seeking out some new career-idea or a risk we want to take but hesitate because of our Rusty Nails of Fear!

So, I began to look at my life circumstances and all the “Rusty Nails of Fear” that were slyly and unexpectedly popping up here and there. I began to see them everywhere (and I like to think I am a fairly conscious person!!!). They were popping up in places like family members, old friendships, career aspirations, financial risks I wanted to take, even fun things I wanted to do but felt time/money were limited for me to enjoy them. One by one, I began to remove these nails I had collected within my unconscious mind. And as I did, the Light began to shine again within my consciousness and suddenly I began to be more creative and inspired by others. I would get a phone call with the exact words I needed to hear, the advice that meant all the difference in my ability to make a decision and the courage I needed to try something I had previously thought I could never do! Even new people I would meet at my favorite coffee shop began to show up and appreciate me in a way that no one had seen before…my spirits began to lift and my life changed in beautiful ways.

Sometimes these rusty nails of fear can come in the form of people in our lives, who invoke the triggers you have within you, causing you to dive into a depression or even into anger or sadness. But these are only feelings you are having, they are not your true divine self. I am not suggesting that you remove these people from your life (they may be relatives or good close friends with their own rusty nails of fear coming into their lives), but instead, just state your truth to them, set your boundary and send LOVE their way, while releasing the trigger they invoked and your need for them to show up any other way than they are. Know that they are only able to portray what is real for them and they are simply an actor in your “life’s play” showing you something about yourself that needs to surface. Do not make them wrong or blame them, just appreciate where they are and know your own truth.

If you are feeling the rusty nails of fear lurking around and within you, I encourage you to take notice of them and stop giving them the power to take you down (or flatten your emotional tires, so to speak). Begin picking them up and OUT of your mind/ego and throwing them away one by one. Remember to appreciate what they are here to show you. They are your Shadow (as Debbie Ford speaks about) and they are your greatest teacher. But when you choose to really learn what they are here to teach you, you will no longer need to find that rusty nail again and again. When you know they no longer serve your highest good you begin to see what does serve your highest good. Recognize that they are there to increase your awareness of what the infinite possibilities are in your life, should you choose.

Life gets easier when we choose to become aware of the Rusty Nails of Fear in our life and take actions that remove them one by one. For me, life is happier, even amidst the chaos and the uncertainty because I choose the Light over the Dark, whether it comes in the form of Rusty Nails falling from the roof tops in my neighborhood or people who are close to me.

What are your Rusty Nails of Fear? How are they dictating your behaviors? Your Thoughts? Your Feelings? Are they surfacing from the people in your life? Are you ready to face these rusty nails and remove them forever, or will you still be finding them two years from now, literally falling out of the sky, reminding you of something that must be dealt with? Or worse, will they flatten your tires and causing a whole multitude of events that will have you wondering why you just did not deal with it when you saw it on the ground, right in front of your face?!!

The choices you have are endless and yet it is within our choices that our destiny is determined. We can take the most difficult path or the path that leads to happiness, peace and love.

For me, I choose the latter….and I will always, without hesitancy, pick up those rusty nails and quickly dispose of them! Putting them in the place in which they belong- which is NOT within me, my thoughts or in my tires!!

What will you choose?

Sorry, I’ve been in a slumber!!

Ali Grace — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:09:20 +0000

When I began this blog in April, it was on a day I woke before sunrise and literally listened to the city where I live awaken from the slumber she was in. It was such a beautiful moment for me to LISTEN to the sounds of a community beginning their day, with all the things people were to do that day, scurrying around, the hustle and bustle of modern day life as we know it. Imagine the days when it was just a matter of finding food, shelter, fire and water. Often, I know many of us wish life were as simple as that, but it is not and we have adapted and grown, just as it has been planned we would, all along. Yes, I believe that things are just as they were planned. I believe there is a master plan, but that our Free Will Choice often shifts that for us and we can get off course, causing us undue pain and suffering, but as a good friend recently told me….”pain finds us, Ali.” It is when we seek lessons that we can only learn through pain and we are ready to endure that pain, the lessons come for us to finally learn. Then the pain subsides.

As soon as I started the blog, I began to allow all of my fears sink in of what people who knew me or had known me may think when they began to read what I would write- knowing that I share a LOT of who I am in my writings and as the Divine Feminine Goddess I am, I am entitled to change my mind, say what may not always be PC and even swear at times when I feel there is no other word to describe my feelings. So, I began to “sleep” again (hence the no entries for some time now) as I feared the awakening that was desperately trying to get out of me. It was my consciousness….my inner soul, wanting to have her voice heard. For whoever may listen, to whomever may be drawn to what I was allowing myself to funnel through me into this 3 dimensional world from the outer worlds beyond time and space. So, using my humor (perceived as it may be) and fearlessness to be heard as my vehicle to reach those drawn into my sphere, I am here now, ready to begin sharing all that comes through my mind and hopefully, my soul. But not all, as I am writing a book and I need to leave something to entice you with!!!

During my “slumber” from writing, I actually accomplished a few important things in my life. I opened Guilt Free Goddess and she certainly has a mind of her own! She has taught me a lot this year as I continue to grow and enter into spaces I have never been. But again, my fearlessness approach to her has been what continues to fuel the creativity of what she brings to women for their life balance, prosperity and authentic living through self love and self honor. Encouraging them to bring all the love they find within to their own world – family, significant others, friends, colleagues, etc. It has been such a joy to watch who comes in and what they do with the things GFG exposes to them. I continue to grow from their growth and my own life continues to offer me great experiences from which to fulfill my own learning curve in the game of life! GFG has been God-Sent, I am certain of it. It has been a lifetime in the makings. Finding my voice, my inner calling, my desire to help women succeed, my love for speaking and teaching (although, knowing I am ALWAYS the student!!)…yes, GFG has been heaven for me on so many levels, many of which I do not even fully understand yet.

Anyhow, I am back and I am delighted for those of you who will be a part of this community will serve to teach and inspire others to be their best!

I have several entries coming…..I just did not want to post them all today (maybe just a few!!). But today has been a writing day that is for sure! From money to sex to politics and our Beloved Planet Earth. Topics I rarely write about, but they are coming through….so, I hope you enjoy!

Blessings and peace,

Ali

Creating Your Vision – Life Balance

Ali Grace — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:59:54 +0000

Tonight we had a conference call for women wanting to begin creating their Vision for their life. I coudl feel the energy of the women all there investing in themselves the time to be there tonight. This is the first step towards creating your dream…showing up! When we show up for ourselves and take a new step into new territory, we are beginning a process of creation. In tonight’s call, one of our very own Guilt Free Goddess Instructors, Lisa Sahakian, guided us through a Visioning Process, created at the Agape Spiritual Center in Culver City. As a practionner student, Lisa has guided many through this process to help them begin to really feel into their soul’s true vision for themselves. We all come into this world with a purpose. Through life, we can sometimes get off track. Through visioning we help ourselves get back on track.

One of our callers wrote in a question prior to the call that dealt with BALANCE. My FAVORITE WORD! The question was “How do I fit in MY NEEDS and still maintain a happy family?” This is almost the exact reason why I created GFG. How do I stay true to myself and still be there for others. The answer is SELF HONORING and SELF LOVING States of being. When we truly learn what helps us stay balanced and we honor that in ourselves, it becomes easy to maintain balance in all of our lives.

Another aspect of this is Quality vs Quantity of what we give to our loved ones. The expenditure and renewal of our energy is key to the Quality/Quantity struggle. If we keep emptying our glass and never re-fill it, then what is left….nothing, it is dry! We become dry. Our CORE ENERGY SOURCE dries up. So, we must learn to nurture it.

At the GFG retreats, we teach many exercises in which you learn how to re-new your CORE ENERGY SOURCE. So, when life gets hectic, you know that spending that hour on YOU is not only needed for you…it is also needed for your family. When Mommy screams STOP, I can;’t take it anymore…she is all dried out! Her core energy is empty. But when Mommy tells the family in a loving way (because she is coming from a self honoring place within her) that she needs to go take her Yoga class, meditate, paint, write, etc….the receivers receive her message differently…they understand and it is a loving exchange.

So…..for everyone reading this…know that being self honoring and self loving is really LOVING your entire family! As we take care of ourselves in a loving way, the people around us respond differently. It becomes a gentle understanding of love and compassion….we begin to work together vs apart…Unity Occurs and Love follows!

So, Heres to Balance, Love and Unity!

Blessings and Peace,

Ali Grace

Welcome to GFG

Ali Grace — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:58:09 +0000

Welcome to the Guilt Free Goddess blog. This is a place where you will find my personal messages, thoughts, experiences and deepest healing’s to share with all who find our Goddess community! I will also be posting our Free Teleconference info and our Free GFG Seminar info- so be on the lookout for them!

Please also check out our retreats at our website: www.GuiltFreeGoddess.com (click on the top right column)

Guilt Free Goddess Retreats was created from my heart and inspired by my soul. It has taken me 40 years to find my soul’s path and every experience I had brought me to this moment of my creative expression. Living life in my truest authenticity and daring to share it with the world. The freedom in that last sentence is probably the most healing aspect of my life today. Freedom has been my MANTRA these past few years and the benefits in my life are more abundant than I ever expected! All of the masks have disappeared and what you see now is authentically me!

My greatest joy is to bring what I have learned to other women, who, like me, have suffered burnout, heart ache, fear, health crises, disappointment, self esteem issues, etc, etc. In addition, I have also experienced Joy, Happiness, Complete and Total Self Love, Blissful moments, Romantic Love and Excitement. In this blog and mostly in my retreats, I will share my stories and my learnings with the hope that when you read my writings, you will find some piece, one word, that touches you and inspires you to be the AMAZING, FABULOUS and GORGEOUS Child of God who is loved and who is love.

My gift to you is the gift of me. And your gift to me is the gift of you. When we meet in Rumi’s field….you will understand what I mean…I’ll be waiting for you.

“Out beyond the fields of right doing and wrong doing…there is a field, I’ll meet you there” – Rumi

Blessings and Peace,

Ali Grace, MA, Cht

Founder & Life Coach

Guilt Free Goddess

(brought to you by Spiritual Consulting Group, LLC)

Hello world!

Ali Grace — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:49:19 +0000

Well, here we go! Today starts the official REVEAL…..

Guilt Free Goddess is no longer just a dream…Using MORE than the Law of Attraction….my Dream has become a reality! Teh techniques I used to create my DREAM Life are what I bring to women during our retreats! I hope to meet you one day soon!

Welcome to My Dream Life! I look forward to getting to know you!

Ali Grace